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AssigneeWalker Digital, LLC
InventorsJay S. Walker, Andrew S. Van Luchne, Magdalena M. Fincham, Daniel E. Tedesco
Estimating the term…
Purchasing, redemption and settlement systems and methods are provided wherein a buyer takes possession of a product at a retailer. A purchasing system may communicate with a buyer through a communication network to establish a first price for a product between the buyer and a seller. The purchasing system may also arrange for the buyer to take possession of the product at a retailer, different from the seller, that offers the product for sale at a second price. Verification information, which enables the retailer to authorize the buyer to take possession of the product, is transmitted to the retailer. The buyer provides a payment, based on the first price, to the purchasing system in exchange for the right to take possession of the product at the retailer. In one embodiment, the purchasing system receives a buyer offer, including an offer price, related to the product. In another embodiment, the purchasing system transmits redemption information, including a redemption code, to the buyer. The redemption information may also include information that enables the creation of a voucher to be used when taking possession of the product. The purchasing system may also receive information related to an attempt by the buyer to take possession of the product, including the redemption code, from the retailer.
A method, comprising:
A computer readable medium storing instructions configured to direct a processor to:
An apparatus, comprising:
A method, comprising:
A computer readable medium storing instructions configured to direct a processor to:
An apparatus, comprising:
A method, comprising:
A computer readable medium storing instructions configured to direct a processor to:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Commerce: marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management: shipping
Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management: inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling,…
Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
Term ended 6 Dec 2017 (estimated)
The present invention relates to the sale of products. In particular, the present invention relates to purchasing, redemption, and settlement systems and methods wherein a buyer takes possession at a retailer of a product purchased using a communication network.
Typically, a buyer visits one or more retailers to shop for a product. When the buyer finds the product he or she is looking for, at a reasonable price, the buyer purchases the product from the retailer. This traditional method of providing products to buyers, however, may require that the buyer visit a number of retailers to determine a reasonable price for the product.
Moreover, the traditional method of selling a product to a buyer requires that a retailer attract buyers, such as by spending money on advertising. For example, when a new retail store opens for business, many buyers will not know what products the store sells. In addition, traditional methods do not let a product manufacturer establish a pricing relationship directly with buyers when the product is provided to buyers through one or more retailers. For example, a manufacturer may sell a product to a retailer (perhaps through a distributor) that ultimately decides the price at which the product is sold to buyers. A manufacturer may also provide a manufacturer's rebate or coupon to a buyer. Such a rebate or coupon, however, typically does not completely bypass the retailer's pricing structure (e.g., the buyer may receive a 10% discount from the retail price of a product).
FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagram overviews of systems in which a buyer takes possession of a product at a retailer according to embodiments of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are block schematic diagrams of purchasing system devices according to embodiments of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are block schematic diagrams of seller devices according to embodiments of the present invention.
In accordance with at least one embodiment, the present invention is directed to purchasing systems and methods wherein a buyer takes possession of a product at a retailer. Turning now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1A is a block diagram overview of a system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The system 10 includes a number of buyer devices 200 coupled to a purchasing system device 300 through a communication network 100. The buyer devices 200 may be, for example, Personal Computers (PCs), Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), wired or wireless telephones, one-way or two-way pagers, kiosks, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), watches enabled to communicate with the network 100, or any other appropriate communication device.
The communication network 100 may be, for example, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless network, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), or an Internet Protocol (IP) network such as the Internet, an intranet or an extranet. In one embodiment, the buyer devices 200 communicate with a remote Web-based purchasing system device 300 through the Internet.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the purchasing system device 300 receives a buyer offer, including a buyer-defined offer price, related to a product to be purchased. The buyer offer may be “binding” in that if a seller agrees the accept the offer the buyer cannot revoke the offer. One example of a buyer offer, called a Conditional Purchase Offer (CPO), is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,207 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/889,319, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. A CPO may be, for example, an electronic message from a buyer including an offer price for a product. If a seller agrees to the CPO, the buyer pays the offer amount to the purchasing system and the product is provided to the buyer by a retailer. The purchasing system, in turn, provides a payment to the retailer for providing the product to the buyer. Such a payment to the retail will be referred to herein as a “settlement” amount, and may be equal to, less than or more than the retail price the retailer typically charges customers for the product.